Front Fog Lights not working??!

[Ben1984]

Hi All,

I have retro fitted front fogs to my 318is, I fitted the dash switch, K8 relay, and light units with new bulbs using the existing wiring.

When I push the switch the relay doesn't click, but I don't think the relay is at fault because when I tested it in the slot next to it in the fuse box (K4 I think) it worked fine.

I'm thinking it may be a faulty fog light switch, anyone got any ideas?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Ben

[eko]

Ben have you put fuses in 29 and 30?

[Ben1984]

Yeah, I have, sorry forgot to mention that...!

[tonyppe]

ok, my fogs never worked at all!!!
but when i pushd the switch in very very slowly one came on, then as i pushed it in to click it into place it went off again! turned out that there was all crap in the switch stoping the contacts from touching. thats why only one came on. i removed the switch, cleaned it out with all sorts of house hold stuff. mainly fairy liquid. put it all back and both come on no problem!
the switch takes some working out how to get it apart but it will with a flat head screw driver and some force saves some money:)

[Brianmoooore]

Switches often go faulty after a decade or so, but they are easy to open up and clean/lubricate.
As a test of the rest of the circuit, pull out the relay and link pins 30 and 87 of its socket with a short piece of wire. This should light up both foglamps and the cluster warning lamp.
One side of the coil of the relay (86) is connected to the supply to the dipped beam headlamps, and the other terminal of the coil (85) goes to the fog light switch via a grey wire, then from that switch by a blue/grey wire to pin 10 of the headlamp switch, where it is earthed to the brown wire on pin 2 when the main light switch is on.

[Ben1984]

Thanks guys, will have a go at cleaning the switch out. If that doesn't work I'll start messing around with wiring!

Cheers!

[mark320i]

give them a bloody good kick being careful not to crack the lenses lol!

[Brianmoooore]

pull out the relay and link pins 30 and 87 of its socket with a short piece of wire. This should light up both foglamps and the cluster warning lamp.
.

[tonyppe]

pull out the relay and link pins 30 and 87 of its socket with a short piece of wire. This should light up both foglamps and the cluster warning lamp.
.

this is a really good test to check the wiring as it completely ignores the switch! i also did this, even before i took the switch apart! this is how i diagnosed the switch :p

[A1BMW325iSport]

pull out the relay and link pins 30 and 87 of its socket with a short piece of wire. This should light up both foglamps and the cluster warning lamp.
.

was just reading through the topic and was gonna type same reply.

nice one brian

[Ben1984]

Cheers for all the help guys, cleaned out the switch this evening and the lights worked fine!!

Well happy, thanks again for all your help, to think I was going to buy a new one!

Cheers,

Ben

[tonyppe]

i said i was going to buy a new switch, and brianmoooore told me off haha
apparently they are about 20-30 quid

[Brianmoooore]

I didn't say they were 20-30 quid. I've no idea what they cost, since I've never failed to bring one back to life as new.
Get a little bit of silicon grease in it after you've cleaned it out.

[tonyppe]

I didn't say they were 20-30 quid. I've no idea what they cost, since I've never failed to bring one back to life as new.
Get a little bit of silicon grease in it after you've cleaned it out.

sorry mis understanding, i think bmw told me that, an electric window switch actually cost me that last year... i still may be wrong tho